Birds in Illinois in November: What to Photograph (60 Species)

60 birds were recorded seen in Illinois in November in our iNaturalist sample; 2 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top birds in November

House Sparrow1,167 obs.

Dark-eyed Junco1,106 obs.

Mallard804 obs.

Red-tailed Hawk755 obs.

Northern Cardinal701 obs.

Canada Goose686 obs.

Black-capped Chickadee628 obs.

Downy Woodpecker623 obs.

American Goldfinch546 obs.

Red-bellied Woodpecker505 obs.

American Tree Sparrow471 obs.

Ring-billed Gull459 obs.

All birds seen in Illinois in November

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus	Old World Sparrows	1,167	Apr (past peak)
2	Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	New World Sparrows	1,106	Jan (past peak)
3	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	804	Apr (past peak)
4	Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	755	Feb (past peak)
5	Northern Cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis	Cardinals and Allies	701	Apr (past peak)
6	Canada Goose	Branta canadensis	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	686	Apr (past peak)
7	Black-capped Chickadee	Poecile atricapillus	Tits, Chickadees, and Titmice	628	Apr (past peak)
8	Downy Woodpecker	Dryobates pubescens	Woodpeckers	623	Apr (past peak)
9	American Goldfinch	Spinus tristis	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	546	Aug (past peak)
10	Red-bellied Woodpecker	Melanerpes carolinus	Woodpeckers	505	Apr (past peak)
11	American Tree Sparrow	Spizelloides arborea	New World Sparrows	471	Jan (past peak)
12	Ring-billed Gull	Larus delawarensis	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	459	Mar (past peak)
13	Cooper's Hawk	Astur cooperii	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	429	Sep (past peak)
14	American Robin	Turdus migratorius	Thrushes	396	Apr (past peak)
15	House Finch	Haemorhous mexicanus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	392	Apr (past peak)
16	Sandhill Crane	Antigone canadensis	Cranes	370	Mar (past peak)
17	White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	Nuthatches	365	Mar (past peak)
18	Bald Eagle	Haliaeetus leucocephalus	Hawks, Eagles, and Kites	333	Feb (past peak)
19	Blue Jay	Cyanocitta cristata	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	330	May (past peak)
20	Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	Pigeons and Doves	319	Apr (past peak)
21	American Herring Gull	Larus smithsonianus	Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers	305	Feb (past peak)
22	Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns	296	Aug (past peak)
23	American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	Crows, Jays, and Magpies	280	Apr (past peak)
24	White-throated Sparrow	Zonotrichia albicollis	New World Sparrows	255	Apr (past peak)
25	Red-breasted Merganser	Mergus serrator	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	251	Mar (past peak)
26	Hooded Merganser	Lophodytes cucullatus	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	232	Mar (past peak)
27	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris	Starlings	228	Apr (past peak)
28	American Coot	Fulica americana	Rails, Gallinules, and Coots	221	Apr (past peak)
29	American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	Falcons and Caracaras	182	Mar (past peak)
30	Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	181	Mar (past peak)
31	Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	New World Sparrows	171	Apr (past peak)
32	Eastern Bluebird	Sialia sialis	Thrushes	156	May (past peak)
33	White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	New World Sparrows	153	May (past peak)
34	Fox Sparrow	Passerella iliaca	New World Sparrows	145	Mar (past peak)
35	Snowy Owl	Bubo scandiacus	Typical Owls	133	Nov (peak)
36	Golden-crowned Kinglet	Regulus satrapa	Kinglets	132	Oct (past peak)
37	Northern Shoveler	Spatula clypeata	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	132	Mar (past peak)
38	Red-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta canadensis	Nuthatches	130	Sep (past peak)
39	Wood Duck	Aix sponsa	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	123	Apr (past peak)
40	Cedar Waxwing	Bombycilla cedrorum	Waxwings	122	May (past peak)
41	Hairy Woodpecker	Leuconotopicus villosus	Woodpeckers	118	Apr (past peak)
42	Snow Bunting	Plectrophenax nivalis	Longspurs and Snow Buntings	112	Nov (peak)
43	Common Goldeneye	Bucephala clangula	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	111	Jan (past peak)
44	Pine Siskin	Spinus pinus	Finches, Euphonias, and Allies	109	Oct (past peak)
45	Brown Creeper	Certhia americana	Treecreepers	103	Apr (past peak)
46	Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	Woodpeckers	103	Apr (past peak)
47	Gadwall	Mareca strepera	Ducks, Geese, and Swans	101	Mar (past peak)
48	Belted Kingfisher	Megaceryle alcyon	Kingfishers	100	Apr (past peak)
49	Horned Grebe	Podiceps auritus	Grebes	100	Mar (past peak)
50	Red-winged Blackbird	Agelaius phoeniceus	New World Blackbirds and Orioles	95	Apr (past peak)

Birds Seen in Illinois in November

Top birds in November

All birds seen in Illinois in November